A control surface for an aircraft includes an elastomeric transition having a reinforced elastomeric skin on a surface of the aircraft, the skin having a perimeter attached to the aircraft. An actuation mechanism moves the reinforced elastomeric skin from a first position, substantially conforming to a moldline of the aircraft, to a second position, protruding from the moldline of the aircraft. State of the art elastomeric transitions for aircraft control surfaces have flexible rods (extending through or over/under the skin substantially perpendicular to the perimeter) that bend to provide the skin with a desired shape under loads and deflections.
However, the state of the art rods do not expand (stretch) along with the skin adequately for desired responsiveness during flight. Therefore, holes, slots, channels, or other cavities are required in the skin to hold the rods, so the rods can slip within the skin. The manufacture and operation of an aircraft including such slip-style rods is subject to increased resource and time usage due to the need for precision manufacture (e.g., careful dimensioning), lubrication and other added maintenance, and increased replacement frequency and cost for broken or worn rods and corresponding structures of the skin.